Title: The Way To His Heart
Disclaimer: Yeah, 'cause I own 'em. Can ya hear the sarcasm?
Setting: Dunno.
Summary: Reno attempts to worm his way into Vincent's heart...and his pants.
Dedicated to Maumse, who was gunnin' fer a RenoxVincent fic from me.
Warnings: Well, there's not tellin' where this'll go, if anywhere, so how should I know? Let's just be vague an' say anythin's a possibility. If ya'll want something ta happen, let me know. Oh, an' I never claim that they'll be in character, so heads up!
Chapter Ten
"Let's play some more," Tifa said, smiling. "Maybe less morbid puzzles, Vincent?" she suggested, smiling at the gunner, who shrugged before creating an identical puzzle, same amount of words and all, underneath the first one.
"I wanna go first, yo!" Reno called out, determined to play the game this time. "Uhh...how's 'bout an 'E'?" Vincent nodded, writing the letter down as the last one in the puzzle. "Yeah, who's the pro at Hangman? That's right: ME!"
"Said the retard..." Cid muttered. "I'm guessin' 'I'." This got the group a head. "Damn..."
"An' ya called me the retard?!" Reno snapped, crossing his arms in front of him as he pouted.
"Damn straight!"
"'S', Vinny, 'S'!" Yuffie shouted eagerly, bouncing slightly on the edge of the bed.
"Yuffie, shouldn't your motions make you motion sick?" Nanaki asked, feeling slightly nauseas as he was bounced up and down on Vincent's feet.
"Huh?"
"Never mind..." he muttered as Vincent shook his head, drawing the torso to the stick figure. "I would guess 'U', on the off chance that it could be there..." Vincent nodded, placing that letter as the second in the first word. "What do you know, Reno, it can be in a puzzle." The redheaded Turk frowned as he glared at the grinning creature.
"Umm...'A'?" Tifa asked, ust to get an arm. "I think the puzzle should be longer next time."
"Probably," Cloud said, thinking as hard as he could. "Vincent's good at these, though... I'm guessing there's an 'R'." As soon as the second arm was added, the blonde frowned. "Yeah, you're really good at this, Vincent."
"Lemme guess!" Barret shouted, squinting at the paper as if it would give him the answer. "'T'! ...Goddammit!" He shouted once a leg was drawn on. "I'm with Teef, these need ta be longer!"
"I guess I'm the last one?" Reeve asked, biting his bottom lip. "...I think all of the usual letters have been taken..."
"...No way," Cid muttered, grinning sneakily at Vincent. "There's no way this can be what I think it is..." Vincent quirked an eyebrow at the pilot, who's jaw dropped in shock. "There ain't no way!"
"What?!" Reno asked, looking between Vincent, who was looking very smug, and Cid, who was stuck between being shocked and oddly proud. "Do ya know what it is?"
"Think I do..." the blonde said, snickering.
"Should I guess," Reeve asked, smiling at Cid. "Or do you want to solve it?"
"Go fer it, Cat-Boy!"
"All right, if you insist... Umm...I really don't know...how's about a 'B'?"
The last leg was drawn on, and Cid began to grin maniacally. "How's 'bout the answer, Vin?" Vincent nodded, smirking around the tube as he filled in all of the blanks spelling out: "Fuck me".
"GLADLY!" Yuffie shouted, just to be smacked by Tifa, while Reno and Reeve's eyes darkened.
"He didn't mean literally, Yuffie!" the martial artist said, shaking her head. "And, honestly, Vincent, I know you're bored in here, but there's no need to get vulgar." He gave her a look and she faltered. "Okay, so maybe it is, but-"
"I say: good fer Vin!" Cid said, clapping the gunner on the back and knocking him forward a bit. "Shows we've been rubbin' off on him!" Some of the group snickered, not noticing how Reno and Reeve fidgeted as they stared at Vincent, and they completely ignored Yuffie, who was practically drooling as she eyed the ex-Turk. "Wanna do another game, Vin?" The gunner shrugged before starting to create the next puzzle. They continued to play this game for a while rather than having actual conversation with one another. The puzzled ranged anywhere from "Please kill me now" to "Hopefully, Hell will have better ways for me to spend my time".
Eventually, the game was stopped when a doctor came in to remove the tube from Vincent's mouth. "You might feel a bit sore for a while, Mr. Valentine, so I would suggest sticking to soft foods for the remainder of the day at the minimum," she said once the tube was out. He then looked down at the chart in his hands. "Well, your tests have come in, and it seems that you're allergic to sesame, most specifically, the seeds that were in the chicken that Mr. Tuesti said that you both have eaten. I would suggest that you refrain from consuming anything with sesame in it from now on. We also did a basic allergy test and found that you are also allergic to cinnamon, so I would suggest the same for that."
"Yet another reason not to drink your tea, Cid," Vincent said, his voice sounding more raspy and lower than usual.
"Smart ass!" the blonde said, grinning widely.
"Well, at least we know what we can't make for you, Vincent," Tifa said, smiling. Vincent opened his mouth, most likely to tell her not to bother cooking for him, but she easily cut him off. "And no arguments about it, Vincent. While you recover, you can spend time with us." Hearing him sigh in defeat, her smile grew, as did he rest of Avalanche's.
"Marlene'll be happy ta have ya 'round, Vamp," Barret said, grinning.
"Same goes for Denzel," Cloud said, "though, promise you won't teach him how to work a gun?" Vincent nodded and the doctor could not help but smile.
"Well, we will keep you here for a few more hours to make sure that there are no complications. Otherwise, you're free to go," he said before leaving.
"Know what we're doing later tonight?" Tifa asked smiling greatly, looking directly at Vincent.
"What?" he asked softly, wondering just what she had in mind.
"We're partying! We're going to celebrate the fact that you're all right!"
"Tifa-"
"Nope, it's happening, Vincent! And only Avalanche and the Turks are allowed to be in the bar."
"Wahoo!" Reno cheered, grinning happily. "Free drinks all around!"
"Take it easy, Reno," Reeve said, smiling. "The liquor hasn't even been broken out yet, no need to plan your drinking already."
"...I think it's a great time..." he whined, pouting and making everyone snicker.
"Anyways, one of us needs to run over to the Seventh Heaven and pick up an outfit for Vincent to wear, that way he won't have to walk out of here naked," Cloud said, making the gunner blush brightly.
"...Thank you, Cloud," Vincent dryly muttered.
"Oh! I'll go!" Reno offered, smiling mischievously.
"Okay, you can check out one of the bottom, dresser drawers for anything that looks like it will fit Vincent," Tifa said, pulling her keys out of her pocket. Reno noticed that there was a large, metal, red heart hanging among the keys, all of which were labeled.
"Stay out of her underwear!" Cloud called out, making the redhead choke as he walked towards the door.
"And don't sniff Vincent's either," she said just loud enough for the Turk to hear and turn vibrant red.
"I-I wouldn't...c-couldn't-" Reno stuttered, his face turning even darker.
"An' stay outta mine, too, Princess," Cid called out, making the Turk instantly turn from a shade of red to one of green.
"Sick!" Yuffie yelled, looking yellow.
"Umm...Vince?" Reno asked, looking over at the frail-looking man sitting up in the hospital bed. "'M gonna pick ya up some ice cream... What kind would ya like, yo?"
"Reno, you do not-" Vincent paused to cough a bit, his throat already beginning to protest the small amount of stress it was put through.
"C'mon, Vince, just pick a flavor, yo," Reno said, smiling sweetly at the gunner, who turned a light pink under his aquamarine gaze. "Please?"
"...Cotton candy..." he mumbled.
"Oh, get him the bright-pink kind!" Yuffie suggested while the gunner just blushed, smacking himself lightly in the forehead.
"What? Why?" Reno asked, looking at the small girl like she was insane.
"Vincent's fond of the pink one, go figure," Cloud said, shrugging. "He usually won't eat the other colors, even if it's the same flavor..."
"'S 'at true, Vince?" the Turk asked, looking at the embarrassed ex-Turk.
"...Can you bring...me Cerberus? I would like...to kill myself..." he muttered, pausing as he tried to speak.
"So... Cotton candy's fine?" Vincent nodded, making the redhead smile. "Great! I'll get ya a pint!" Before the brunette could tell him anything, the Turk sprinted out of the hospital, hurrying as quickly as he could to the woman's bar, planning to pick up his clothes before the ice cream, that way it would still be cold enough to soothe his throat. He ran all the way to her bar, ignoring traffic lights and upsetting traffic as he did so. In a matter of minutes, he was standing outside of the bar, beginning to wonder where the little children were before he unlocked the front door. Deciding that he would ask Tifa about it once he returned, the redhead sprinted up the stairs, nearly tripping on the last steps before running into the first room he saw. Opening the dresser's bottom drawer, he realized that it was for the kids.
Sighing, he ran into the next room, checking the drawer and finding a mix of clothes, some large enough to fit Barret while others were small enough for Yuffie. Rummaging through the drawer, he found a pair of black pants that looked like they were long enough to fit the gunner. They were one of the longest that he could find, but also quite thin, making him believe that they would fit him quite well. Next came the task of finding a shirt. While searching, he came across a pair of black boxers. Quickly looking around the room, to make sure that he was alone, Reno went back to the boxers. Checking the tag, he found two small 'V's on the tag, signaling them as Vincent's. Smirking, he looked around the room once more, before locking the door and closing the shades, his fingers caressing the soft fabric.
Looking throughout the drawer, for any more pairs of boxers that were similar, Reno found an identical pair. Figuring that he would not miss one pair, the Turk tucked the personal item into the back pocket to his pants before resuming his search for a shirt. After a few more minutes of looking, he came across a few shirts, one which was flannel, which he guessed were for sleeping, and a few dress shirts. Picking out the dark blue, button-down, the Turk folded it up with the pants before leaving the room.
He locked every room that he passed, making sure that the front door was bolted completely before heading to the nearest convenience store that he could find. He asked one of the workers if they carried the type of ice cream that the pale man liked, getting a strange look from the woman, who pointed him in the right direction. Looking at the mix of colors, he easily found the brightest shade of pink that he could, hurrying to the front desk and paying for the item before running back to the hospital, praying that it would not melt beforehand.
Once he was back in the room, and panting slightly, Reno handed the clothes to Tifa, who was giggling for a reason that the Turk did not know of. He then handed the carton over to Vincent, who thanked the redhead, making him smile greatly at the gratitude for such a small gift.
"Vincent, how do you plan on eating it without a spoon?" Reeve asked, watching how he carefully opened the carton.
"Right now?" the gunner asked, looking at the neon-pink confection. Most of the group nodded, all eyes on the pale man. "...Like this," he said, dipping two of his fingers into the bright, creamy desert before putting it into his mouth, sucking off the cold treat and moaning softly, unaware of the heated stares that he was under. Licking his lips, the gunner continued the action.
"I'm going to...get you a spoon, Vincent..." Cloud muttered before quickly leavng the room, hearing the soft thanks that the gunman gave.
"Hey, Vinny, can I get a taste?" Yuffie asked, licking her lips. Looking at her, the gunman nodded, unaware of what she was thinking. Instead of following his action, the ninja leaned in, attempting to kiss the flavor off of his lips, just to be stopped by the ex-Turk's hand on her shoulder, pushing her back.
"...What are you doing?" he asked, looking a touch panicked.
"Getting a taste," she answered, smiling and completely ignoring the growling coming from behind her.
"...Cloud will return...with a spoon..."
"So?"
"...Would you mind...backing up? ...I can hand...you the carton if you like..."
"Mmm, nope!"
"Vince said ta back up," Reno growled, pulling her back so she landed on the floor, falling off the bed.
"Hey!" she shouted, glaring up at the grinning Turk.
"'Hey' nothin'," he said. "Man asked ya somethin'. Respect yer elders an' all that!"
"Bastard!"
"Takes one ta know one, yo!"
End of Chapter Ten
Review for the next chapter.
Thanks for reviewing:
Kigichi: No worries 'bout that, sweetheart! -Laughs-Not the chicken...per se! -Snickers-Sourpuss...he kinda is, too! -Laughs-Poor Reeve, gettin' abused... Ya have a point 'bout his choice of toys, though! -Laughs-Vince on pixy stix! Let the fun begin! -Laughs hysterically-There's always game two! ...An' I think I might use that, too! Thanks! -Grins-Well, Reno'll get first crack...as it stands right now...but Vince'll get his turn too. Ha! Reno'll meet his fate soon enough! (Meanin' it'll take a while so don't hold yer breath!) ...Vince gets ta play "ex-Turk-in-shinin'-armor"! Same here! 'S fun! -Grins meekly-I know, I know, I got a ton ta do...
carefreecat: -Laughs-Was fun, though, no? -Smiles-There will!
Favrite of Chaos: -Snickers-I can give tidbits! ...Reno has ta...prove himself...an' Vince's allergic ta somethin'...in the food (an' it ain't the chicken!).
yumie-darkness123: Thanks! Thanks! -Laughs-Ya know what..I dunno! Maybe after the red 'n' white straws?
Maumse: -Laughs-He's hard not ta! Yup!
Rayvne Rayne: -Laughs-Ain't he? Know ya'll know!
Heather V. Snape: Thanks! An' here ya go!